


Breaking The Link

by HalRose



Series: The Shakarian Project [19]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Liara thinks she's a basketball player, Mass Effect 3: Citadel, Miranda is sorta evil? Kinda?, Neither Shepard or Garrus die FYI, POV Garrus Vakarian, sleeper agent, this was hard to write so im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:53:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26546311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HalRose/pseuds/HalRose
Summary: “I could kill you right now!” - Miranda lied about Shepard’s implants. She IS a sleeper agent… and the voices inside her head won’t shut up about it.. until she snaps. Set during Mass Effect 3, during the Citadel dlc
Relationships: Female Shepard/Garrus Vakarian
Series: The Shakarian Project [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1876087
Kudos: 5





	Breaking The Link

**Author's Note:**

> This was really hard to write, so I apologise if its not very good  
> I also want to thank Kallonimo for their support

**Garrus**

I’d heard Miranda had fled from Cerberus, and now she had the Illusive Man sending people after her to kill her.  
I never understood why the Illusive Man would want to kill her, but I knew part of it was because her father was a part of Cerberus and he wanted to get his hands on Oriana, Miranda’s sister.  
She would send us messages every so often, and we would meet up with her.

Shepard hasn’t been coping well with the war – she has a panicked look on her face at all times  
She flinches at somebody touching her, and she’s constantly talking to herself.

I’m worried. I’m really worried. 

Liara thinks it may be due to the Alliance relying on her to win this war and she’s not coping well, but I’ve never seen her like this. It’s like she’s been taken over by somebody else.  
Shepard told me that when Cerberus brought her back, she knew there was something different about her… but she didn’t know what.

Athena manages to get us some shore leave and Miranda seems to be a little… nervous. Miranda introduces herself and we spend some time at the bar, before I decide to take Athena on a little date.  
For about an hour, she seems alright – she’s talking to me normally and telling me she loves me, and everything seems real, like there is nothing wrong with her.

After our date, I pull her to one side.

“You’re holding something back from me, Athena. You can tell me anything, you know that right?”

“There’s something… telling me that I’m not who I think I am, who I want to be. I could murder you. I could kill you right now and it wouldn’t matter. Because the voices wont stop.”

I freeze.

“You would never kill me.”

“I know that.” Athena sobs “But they won’t go away… and I feel like every choice I make is,..not my own.”

“How long have you felt this way?”

“Since I was in custody for working for Cerberus.” Athena tells me.

Something is clearly wrong. And I think I know where to start.

Athena arranges a party, to take her mind off things and Miranda comes along – and when she has some time alone, I corner her.

“Garrus, is something wrong?” Miranda asks, like nothing is wrong at all.

I cross my arms.

“You and I both know that something is wrong with Shepard. She told me that she’s been hearing voices in her head since she’s been in custody. You wouldn’t happen to know what that is about, do you?”  
Miranda doesn’t even try to hide the fear in her eyes and she flinches.   
She definitely knows something.

“I don’t know what you’re on about Garrus.” She lies

I move out the way so she can watch Shepard, who seems to be wandering between party members and talking to herself.

“Don’t tell me you don’t see it, because it’s obvious. Tell me what you’ve done.” I say like she has no choice in he matter. “Miranda, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“But Shepard might.” Miranda tries to keep me quiet and pulls me into a room where we can talk privately.

“I lied. About Shepard. She’s a sleeper agent, if she hears that I’ve lied, she will activate and she WILL kill us. The Illusive Man kept her chip inactive during the time when we were fighting The Collectors, but -”

“You activated her!?” I hiss, demanding more explanation.

“No, the Illusive Man did, and that’s partly why I fled. Because if she finds out, she might go after my family, she’ll hurt you… who knows what she’ll do.”

I can’t believe what I’m hearing. The love of my life is a sleeper agent.  
Miranda tells me she was forced into making the chip and placing it in Shepard because her father and the Illusive Man threatened her.  
Miranda never really saw her father, but he was looking for Oriana and the threat of Oriana being found after what Miranda did to save her, was too much for her.

I ask if the Illusive Man is controlling Shepard, and Miranda says yes. But she’s obviously fighting it, but the Illusive Man seems to be losing control on himself – what with Kai Leng and everything else going on.  
If we can break the link, we can also get the chip removed. But there needs to be a phrase that will snap Shepard out of her trance, and we don’t know what will stop her.

Miranda apologises for what she’s done, and leaves. Shepard looks at her, and lunges.

“Shepard! No!” Tali and Liara screech and Miranda screams for help.

Shepard proceeds to destroy the apartment as she fights Miranda, all the while everyone is wondering what the hell is going on and I tell Liara, who tries to snap Shepard out of it.  
I order everyone to move to the Normandy, and Tali helps Joker get out first, so he can contact the Alliance and let them know what is going on.

We need to go after the Illusive Man. This needs to end.

“Miranda, think of something that would stop her!” I call out.

Miranda doesn’t get a chance. Shepard stabs her and turns to face me, tears running down her face.

“Garrus… please, run.” Shepard’s broken voice is forced as she tries to fight he effects of the control.

“No. I’m not running.” I say. 

Behind me, Liara drags Miranda to safety but shakes her head at me – Miranda is dead.

This is what Cerberus wanted. What the Illusive Man wanted. Miranda is dead because of them.  
With Shepard at their control, they’ll be unstoppable.  
I’m not giving up on her.  
I’m going to free the love of my life.  
But I don’t know the phrase that will snap her out of things. I don’t…

“I could kill you right now!” Shepard screams, pulling out a pistol that she aims at me.

I see Liara, fear in her eyes, who doesn’t want to leave me behind. 

“You won’t kill me. I know you won’t. But can you do me a favour?”

Athena stops, a confused look on her face.

“Garrus… whatever you’re doing… stop. I love you, but stop.”

I don’t hesitate with my response.

“Can you tell the Illusive Man that we’re coming for him?”

She raises the gun, shaking heavily – I know now that the Illusive Man is listening to everything that is going on.  
She pulls the trigger and starts screaming before she starts running.  
The bullet doesn’t hit me, it ricochets off me and off a wall thanks to Liara’s biotic powers but Athena is on the run.

She won’t make it to the Normandy, there’s no way she’ll be able to get there and she won’t get off the Citadel without a ship, and there are no other ships around.  
Liara asks for my permission to stop Shepard and I give her permission, and watch as the love of my life is slammed against a wall and knocked out.

Liara tells me she’ll deal with Miranda’s body and inform Oriana and we’ll have a service for her when the war is over.  
I tell Liara that we need to get Athena to the hospital to remove the chip, thus breaking the link.  
Then, after that we can head for the Illusive Man and stop this god damn war.

I want to give my love, her life back. She’ll be able to make her own decisions again.

Liara and I get Miranda’s body to the hospital, and Liara also uses her powers to carry Shepard in a bubble. We don’t really attract much attention, but I follow my love into surgery so I can make sure the chip comes out.

A few hours later, Shepard wakes up.

“Garrus… I killed Garrus!” She says.

“No… but you did kill Miranda.” I tell her.

She turns her head to see me sitting in the corner of the room and she starts clutching her head, sobbing.  
And then, she looks up at me.

“I can’t hear the voices any more, The connection…”

She then feels her arm, and sees the scar.

“Yeah… Liara slammed you against a wall with my permission. You would have lost your mind otherwise. We had to think of something. We didn’t know what would snap you out of things.”

I come closer, taking her hand.

“You don’t hate me… do you?” Athena asks.

“Hate you? What you did… it wasn’t you. The Illusive Man was using you, and he got what he wanted by taking Miranda out. I love you, Commander Shepard.”

Athena freezes, as do I

“Did… you just say you loved me?” She asks, smiling.

“Yes, yes I did.”

“I love you too, Garrus Vakarian. Now tell me, when are we going after the Illusive Man?”

“As soon as you’re ready.” Liara walks in, arms crossed.

Not even two hours later, I watch as Athena shoots the Illusive Man dead – his mind and body taken over by a Reaper.

“Garrus?” Athena calls out to me.

“Yes, Shepard?” I reply.

“Let’s go kick the motherfuckin’ Reapers back into the hole they crawled out of.”

That’s my girl. That’s the Shepard I know and love.


End file.
